10 WWE Stars Who Most Benefited From Paul Heyman's Influence
5. Rob Van Dam
Paul Heyman has said himself that the eventual plan was to make Rob Van Dam ECW Heavyweight Champion. Unfortunately, the promotion went out of business as a standalone entity before that could happen, but it was in the pipeline. Despite never holding the top belt during the original run of the company, Van Dam was one of Heyman's biggest stars.
His performances under the ECW banner were wholly unorthodox, but that only helped RVD stand out. His 'Mr. Monday Night' character also felt unique, because Heyman was using the perception of WWF/WWE success as a means to gain heat for one of his own performers.
Some have claimed that Van Dam simply strung various spots together without any rhyme or reason, but he was evidently exciting to watch. When ECW did depart the wrestling world, RVD was picked up by the then-WWF, later becoming WWE Champion.
Even though he was a thrilling piece of talent in his own right, that may never have happened had Paul Heyman not consistently presented RVD as a crown jewel of the wrestling world.